11.08.07 choice blog

In this article “Teens' risky actions grow in high school” from the Denver Post talks about the number of dangers and suicide attempts in high school students. A survey was conducted with Denver teens and results scared adults. Also last year a survey was conducted in Abraham Lincoln High School and Half of the 11th-graders surveyed at Abraham Lincoln said they had been in a car with a person who had been drinking, 45 percent of the 88 freshmen queried said they had tried to kill themselves in the past year, and just 30 percent of 10th-graders felt they had adequate parental support. Later in the article the school’s district says that they figured out where to put their efforts in to save lives. For the sake of these teens parents Denver put together a video of these statistics to show how dangerous this subject actually is. The video was viewed at a recent “parents advisory committee” at ALHS to show these families that “its in the parents mind power.”

After reading this article all I can say is WOW. I had no clue that this many teens were wanting or attempted to commit suicide last year. And I can only imagine how the numbers have changed from the past year to this year. I think about if that survey was conducted at my school how the number would come out. And if maybe someone I know may be included in those numbers who have tried it. I agree with the city, that school should enforce the importance suicide and how much it can affect the other people around you. I believe the earlier that kids/teens are taught that this can be shared with other people to prevent it the more the number will decrease for teen deaths. Also I agree with the people saying that the risks of life become more extreme in high school because the number of people doing these bad things is greater. And those big numbers of people put more pressure on teens. There isn’t one teen that won’t be offered a chance to “rebel” while in school whether it be in middle or high school. Everyone is faced with decisions and they have the ability to make the good decision as long as mentors among them have lived a good lifestyle and taught them good things. It also hurts me to hear that some modern day teens feel that there life isn’t important or no one feels they are important. EVERYONE is important in the world and should be taught that their life isn’t meaningless and shouldn’t be taken for granted. I recommend reading this article because I think that the more adults/teens who are informed about this very serious subject the more aware people will become about their family/friends.

PLN Choice 11-1-07

Not Your Parents' Parent-Teacher Conferences

In this article Mr. Fisch talks about how having parent teacher conferences are almost pointless when the parents only want to discuss their child’s grade. Many teachers agree with him because when the parents know that their child’s grades are accessible online and they can talk to their kids they still come in and discuss it with their teacher. So one teacher this year took a different approach, she decided to sit down with each of her students and ask them to do and answer the following:

• Assess your learning in class so far this semester. Look at your participation, growth in writing, comprehension, etc..
• Where, in terms of your learning, do you want to be at the end of the semester?
• How are you going to get there?
• What can I do to help?
• Write a message to your parents.

Once the student’s did this they were supposed to bring their “learning assessment” to their parents to view.

After reading this article I think about how it makes a difference of who is asking me to view my grade and tell what level I want my learning to be at by a certain time. I truly believe that having this come from someone besides a parents really shows that it isn’t just the kid’s parents that care about what’s going on with their school work. Whenever I am asked to sit down with one/any of my teachers and discuss my grade I truly never worry because I don’t have bad grades. But when I think about how others feel when they have to sit with their teacher and discuss their grade when it isn’t good, it makes me wonder what is going through their head. I also like how the teachers take successful kid’s advice and disperse it to the kid’s who may need help. In the end I think student-teacher conferences are better than parent-teahcer conferences.

PLN 10.25.07 Education

Did you know? - PE version

In this video/blog posted on the Fischbowl by Karl Fisch a professor poses the question of "what skills do students need to be successful in the 21st century?” Mr. Fish’s students then later, based of this question, were given a homework assignment. The assignment consisted of answering the question posed above and making their own “Did you know” video. The video that was posted on Mr. Fisch’s blog was about the amount of exercise teenagers get and how little school emphasize on it. Schools make it seem like that “If it’s not tested it doesn’t count.”

After watching this video I felt like jumping on the tread mill and running till my legs fell off. In the video the amount of exercise that is done by teenagers today was discussed and debated. I fully agree that if a school does not feel that a certain subject of knowledge (such as Physical Education) is necessary they won’t test it therefore it isn’t important. I believe the when I am fit/exercise that I can concentrate better and I am able to think with a clear mind and to take away that privilege to exercise would almost be as if the schools are wanting test scores to drop and have students do worse in school. I believe that to make us-kids- able to function in society when we become adults, we need to be taught good habits when we are young and we need to get into a good routine of working out. Obesity is taking over quite a bit of teenagers today and can easily take others so to prevent this we need to keep our PE systems in schools today.

PLN 10.25.07 Choice blog

"Human calculator" awes kids

In this article posted in the Denver Post by Kieran Nicholson kids at Goddard Middle school were amazed by the abilities of one man’s mind. Mike Byster’s mind can solve large numbered problems in his head using memorization techniques, as fast or faster than a calculator. His abilities amazed these students and made them feed of his knowledge. He stood in front of multiple classes of six graders doing problems after problems showing his techniques. He also showed the students some steps he has used to achieve this great knowledge and how to solve massive problems not usually done in the head. The principal of Goddard Middle School was also amazed herself. She was happy that the students had got exposed to such a great talent/ability.

"They saw somebody who is passionate about math, that is great for kids to see" said the school's principal Amy Oaks. "They saw somebody who is amazing and that made it fun."

After reading this article I was blown away that someone could possibly do such problems in one’s head. I can’t even imagine how the kids at Goddard felt in his presence. I think about this and how it could be relevant to the world today and I believe that these techniques he used could/should be taught to middle/high school kids to better their learning. Using these simple memorization skills students of Colorado and across the U.S. could improve their test scores greatly. Mike Byster should come into schools and teach what he has learned and should inspire kids of my time. I personally would have loved to see this man’s mind at work and hear his techniques. His area of research should be spread across the U.S. and used in every school. I think that teachers and parents would see dramtic increases in school and home life. Kids who are taught to think like this would always be planning ahead and showing how smart they really are.

Education PLN 10-11-07

Even More on Filtering

I this article, posted on the Fischbowl by Mr. Fisch, he talks about how more and more filters are being set up in schools for inappropriate sites found on the internet today, and how many sites are being blocked when there is nothing wrong with them. In our school today all Google and Youtube videos have been blocked because of the potential danger online. He says “Our philosophy is to have high expectations for our students, to educate them to behave ethically, responsibly and safely and then expect that they will do the right thing. When they don’t, they know we’ll have a conversation and try to learn from the mistake, but we don’t assume they are going to screw up. In other words, our philosophy has been to educate, not ban.” He also references many other teachers who have either commented on his blog or sent him an e-mail regarding his blog, agreeing with them. They say that students should be trusted to make their own “good judgment” in internet preferences.

I also agree with Mr. Fisch and his previously mentioned bloggers who responded to him. I think that teenagers should be able to make their decision on whether a web site is safe or not. Although I do believe that there are some students who shouldn’t have that freedom among their hands. I knew of many teachers who, in middle school, used Youtube to show a piece of a video that was then later annotated as a class. I think some video sites should be allowed to be viewed for educational purposes. Some teachers may not have funding to be able to provide a video for class viewing, which is not found in the library, and might have to find an online edition to show. If that is the case now as far as I know they won’t be able to view any of those videos. In the end I think certain sites should be allowed for the benefit of the teacher and class, as long as it is viewed by school “officials,” and is approved.

Local News PLN 10-11-07

ACLU protests school search of cellphones

In this article, from the Denver Post by Kieran Nicholson, the ACLU of Colorado is accusing the Boulder Valley School District of “committing felonies.” They say that they are committing these felonies by searching students cell phones and transcribing them. They school district say they’ve searched phones when they have suspected cheating on tests or drug use. After reading some of these text messages sent and received by students many other kids are being pulled down because of what has been said. Before the cell phone confiscation occurred the district says that they contacted the districts legal system and they were informed that it was fully legal for them to take this action. The ACLU says that confiscating and going through the students’ phones is an invasion of privacy and is violating the kids’ rights.

After reading this article I think of friends who have had their phones taken and read after being in trouble, and how they felt about it. They said it felt like someone was going through your drawers and making everything in your life public. I think that this relates to our school and schools across the U.S. because kids need to know that they have their own rights and that those rights will be respected within their lives. Adults look down upon kids/teenagers because we aren’t as filled with knowledge as they are, and some adults think they can use that power to a great extent. A show of that power would be confiscation of phones or any other personal device. I don’t think this is fair of them to do because our personal lives are own our phones, laptops and other personal items. The only reason that it might be acceptable for a phone to be taken and read might be when an administrator has witnessed drugs or illegal acts being done/committed. This situation applies because they have worthy reason to back up what they have seen done. Plus I don’t think administrators or teachers would like us to go through their stuff and read it all. Overall I think these “cell phone readings” are not fair to teenagers right and it is violating our own privacy.

PLN #2 (10-3-07)

Speaking From the Soul By Karl Fisch’s Fischbowl.

In this blog Mr. Fisch refers to Ms. Gerlich’s poem that she decided to share with her class. She wrote this poem with her class of freshmen English/History students and didn’t think she would be sharing it. Later her co-teacher convinced her to share it. She thought, “If 9th graders could share their writing, if Lary could do birdcalls, I could take a chance and share my poem. So I did.” In her poem she talks about her past and the life she grew into. She talks about the dry land of the earth where she lived.

While reading her reaction on how she felt about sharing to her class it made me think about how nervous I get to share writing to my fellow students. I didn’t think that teachers got so nervous about sharing poems. Though I don understand that her poem was very personal to her life. Ms. Gerlich’s poem makes me think of how my life is and how I can relate to what she is writing. I like how in hr poem she shows a lot of emotion and description. These things can help me to form a mental picture. After reading her poem I am truly inspired to be able to get in front of a class and read my writing. She has showed me that not only do high school students get nervous to share their work but also do teachers.

PLN #1 (10-3-07)

In this article from the NYT by Jeff Topping about teen driving safety many solutions are brought up to lessen the probability of teen accidents. Research has shown: since 1993, fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers have dropped 23 percent, according to the Journal of Safety Research. According to this article the amount of accidents has been reduced by five simple rules/guidelines parents are enforcing upon teens. The first of these rules is “make sure your teen is rested,” this proved to be true, in the reduction in accidents, by recent research done by Virginia Tech. Researchers said that, “when the kids crashed, it was often because they were impaired by fatigue. They made judgment errors, didn’t recognize hazards and were indecisive. And all these mistakes were compounded because the teens hadn’t had much practice behind the wheel.” The second of these rules/guidelines is “to ban cell phones, which reduced distractions in the car. “Don’t let teens drive or ride with other teens,” was the third of these tips given to parents and teens. “Don’t let teens drive at night,” and “Impose strict rules,” we of the two other tips given. Researchers say driving at night is the riskiest time for teen drivers.

Will our parents take all this advice and force it upon us? As I read this article I think of how dangerous it really is for teen drivers in the world today. When I hear of accidents in the news today I always wonder if not only do these problem occur in teen driving, but do they occur in adults driving too? It’s not only teen drivers who get into accidents. Though the level of teen accidents are proven to be higher. While reading this article I think about Cameron Elliot who died in a car accident near AHS not but 4 years ago. Was it his fault or another driver’s fault? Either way I think all people need to read these guidelines and statistics and take them into account. Also as most of us begin our journey into the driving world, we should be forced to take drivers ed to make us safer on the road. These statistics not widely shared should also be showed to new teen drivers to make us all face reality. Surprisingly i don't think these enforcements would help all new teen drivers.

Education PLN (9-27-07)

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
In this article posted on The Fischbowl by Mr. Fisch he talks about if it is okay to be a technologically illiterate teacher. He says no it isn't okay because you have to know the material you are teaching to your students and how can you teach it to them if you don't understand it yourself. He pulls into another man's blog about being technologically illiterate and connects to what he is saying to. Also he says that if your not a technologically literate teacher that maybe you should re think your career.

I agree with Mr. Fish on this one because how can teachers be teaching us something if they don't know what they are talking about. Who is to say they are teaching it wrong then? In this case teacher DO need to be technologically literate because they need to be teaching us correctly for the sake of our futures. I also agree with Mr. Fisch on how he is saying that if your not a technologically literate teacher that you should maybe find a better job suiting your knowledge in technology. Technology is our present and our not so distant future. People need to know how to understand computers because that's how things are going to be in the future. They don't have to exactly like computers or how they function, but they need to be able to when it comes down to it understand how to work it and understand why we use it. To be able to make a fortune and be successful in modern day society people have to understand most, if not all forms of technology. I was reading an article the other day in the Denver Post about how today's adults are shaping how technology is coming across in 2007. So if the "baby boomer's" are shaping our technology I only think it would be appropriate for them to understand those technological advances. So bringing back to the beginning question "is it okay to be a technologically illiterate teacher?". I think no all teachers need to understand all the technology that is being used throughout or school and the technology that is being taught to us.

Local News PLN (9-27-07)

Boulder students protest "God" in Pledge
In this article, by the Denver Post, many students from their fellows peers pulled them selves aside because of their beliefs; they shouldn't have to pledge to their religion (saying "under god"), but to their country. These students all believe that people should have the right to refuse to say "god," and this morning they were exercising that right. One student said, 'We don't object to pledging to our country, but we do object to pledging to a religion," said Ashley Guesman, 17, a protest organizer. So when the pledge was recited this morning over the PA system throughout Boulder High School some students walked out of their first hour to class to recite their alternative pledge. The version these students went as follows:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag and my constitutional rights with which it comes. And to the diversity in which our nation stands. One nation, part of one planet, with liberty, freedom, choice and justice for all."
The students are hoping that if they wait out this protest long enough that the school will change their ways and not broadcast the Pledge of Alligence to the whole school. If the Pledge is still broad casted throughout the whole school in a week the students are willing to try another protest scheme. Today's protest was organized by a group called "Student Worker."

Should Colorado students be forced to say the pledge, with the word "god" in it? I think everyone has their constitutional right to refuse to say the normal pledge and be able to not say the pledge at all or say an alternative one. I believe that when I say the pledge with "under god..." that i am not so much pledging to a religion but pledging to my country and our freedom. Though depending on who you talk to some people would say, reciting "under god..." is pledging to a certain religion and is against our rights because we all have the right to have our own religion. In our school today I don't see anyone who does refuse to recite the pledge, but if someone were to not say the pledge I would think of them as the same person, but I would understand their how they interpret the Pledge. Before reading this article I didn't know that people saw saying "under god...," in the pledge was against what they believe. When people say it is against what they believe it makes me wonder about what their beliefs in the world are and how saying god affects them religiously? I think this affects American citizens because people are beginning to stand up for what they believe in more and more and that might begin to change our rights. People may begin to think that they are being forced into situations when they could be avoiding them. They might start to think that the government is making decisions for them.I think if everyone would refuse to do the pledge that school should change their plans but if only some kids decide they don't want to they should be able to leave the class room to recite their modified version. If they don't want to say either they should just have to stand up as everyone else does but just not say anything. When I stand up to say the pledge I think of all our men and women soldiers fighting risking their life everyday for our rights. I also think of how people have lost lives to bring us all here today; able to be in school as not being separated by the color of our skin, but being seen as one student body and one group of learners. Then again I also think it is good for kids who are usually not taken seriously to stand up for what they believe in. It is also good for them to understand why they aren't saying it.Though I am pulled to both sides of this controversial situation I think we can all chose how and if we want to say the Pledge of Alligence.

Website tells of heroes' medals. Denver Post.

In the "Denver Post" on September 11th Coloradans learned about how post war soldiers are trying to claim awards that never came to them and now a man named Doug Sterner is trying to stop that. He sits in his back office in his Pueblo home making $25,000 a year off donations given to his company. He is forming a website that will include all "hero's" who have received either a Medal of Honor, a Service Cross or a Silver Star and will help them to be legally recognized. Sterner is also trying to pass the "Preservation of Valor Act." This act states that the government is required to create and complete an accurate database for all soldiers who have received an award. "Soldiers risk life and limb for our nation, and we recognize their service in a solemn way and award them medals,"Marilyn Musgrave said.
I think that it is important to recognize all hero's in history so other people can strive to be like them or try to accomplish what they have. If people go unrecognized no one will understand the significance of or fellow fighters and what pain they have gone through to make our life as peaceful as it is. I also think this is a good idea because some people try to claim awards that belong to other people who have truly earned them by their hard work.

Did you know? Presentation

Ever thought you might have a twin? Well think again you have 1,300 twins in China alone. "We are living in exponential times." Not only does China hold your 1,300 twins it will also soon become the number one English speaking country in the world. In this presentation created by Mr. Fisch, from the"Fischbow l" education feed, he shows how the world can't keep up with the ever so changing technologies in the modern world. Also in this presentation it says that knowledge of the human race will be out dated by a computer soon. Through this eight minute presentation sixty babies will be born in the U.S alone, 244 babies born in China and 351 babies born in India. These children that are being born are not only being introduced to the 540,000 word English language they are being brought into a word where people are being taught how to perform jobs that don't even exist yet. And parents think, us, children are safe when there are 100 million registered myspace users, as of August 2006, think again. Not only are there that many myspace users the average myspace page is viewed 30 times a day, by who knows what predator. Writers across the world are publishing 3,00 books per day.
I think that this world is growing to fast and society can't keep up to the dramatic changes. People are being taught about technology that doesn't exist and won't for another 20 years. For anyone who is learning in a four year curriculum (college) their knowledge will be out dated as of three years later. So by our senior year most of our freshmen learning will be outdated. And the amount of texts that are being sent/received everyday equal more than the planets population. People who are sending those texts are gaining more useless knowledge while almost sixty babies are born. Is the world bitting off more than anyone can chew? What will happen when no more technological advances can be made and no one is caught up to modern day civilization?